Reopening of one of our historic gardens: The Royal Gardens of Aranjuez, a Cultural Landscape included in the World Heritage List of UNESCO

On Monday, May 11th, National Heritage has reopened the Aranjuez Gardens so that the riversiders have more space to walk during the outings allowed by Order SND / 380/2020, of April 30, of the Ministry of Health.

This large green area, made up of several Historic Gardens covering a total of 111.23 hectares, was closed to the public on March 13th, following the recommendations of the health authorities in Spain, and in the context of the state of alarm, it has remained closed until May 10th. However, given the evolution of the pandemic, the need to have green spaces in urban areas so that the people can stroll in a more dispersed and safe way has motivated the decision to reopen these UNESCO World Heritage Historic Gardens closely linked to the residents of Aranjuez.

The decision has been jointly taken by the National Heritage President, the Government Delegate in the Madrid Region and the Mayor of Aranjuez, which shows the collaboration between all the competent administrations. It is a National Heritage initiative, at the request of the Mayor of Aranjuez, designed to meet the needs of the riverside citizens, recovering this substantial part of the Cultural Landscape of Aranjuez for relaxation, delight and enjoyment, after long weeks of confinement.

In this sense, the Presidency of National Heritage and the Aranjuez City Council call for citizenship responsibility to avoid crowds and the concentration of people in the same space, as well as scrupulous respect for distance and hygiene rules for avoid at all times situations of risk of contagion.

Rules for the use

The rules for the use of these Gardens are limited to those contained in the Order of the Ministry of Health of April 30th, which aims to establish the conditions under which people aged 14 years and older can engage in non-professional physical activity outdoors during the validity of the alarm state:

• Access for walking – not for sports – will be allowed for people over 14 years of age, alone or with a partner, as long as they live together, or accompanied by up to a maximum of 3 children under 14, in the different time bands by ages that are included in the cited Order
• It will not be possible to practice sports because they are areas with special sensitivity in terms of flora and fauna
• There will not be access to people with bicycles or scooters, with or without motor, or similar
• It will not be possible to stand still or make circles in the different areas of the gardens
• It will not be possible to access with pets
• It will not be allowed to have access with sports equipment such as balls or the similar, nor it will be allowed to practice group games or any type of sport.

Security measures

The security measures, agreed with the Delegation of the Government of the Community of Madrid, National Heritage and the City of Aranjuez are as follows:

• National Security Forces & Bodies and National Heritage Security Service will be present at the door and inside the gardens to avoid concentrations and misuse of the premises
• The benches and recreation and rest areas will be sealed and the use of public toilets inside the gardens will be disabled
• The lighting of the ornamental fountains is suspended, and the public fountains are closed
• The interpersonal distance with third parties of at least two meters will be maintained
• The prevention and hygiene measures against COVID-19 indicated by the health authorities must be complied with
• Citizens are recommended not to stand at the door and avoid crowds at both the entrance and exit

Access hours

Regarding access hours, the gardens will be open from 08:30 to 21:00, from Monday to Sunday. However, there are differences in capacity and access gates.

Jardines del Príncipe- Prince Gardens

• Maximum simultaneous capacity allowed: 420 people
• Only one entrance and exit through Villanueva Gate

Gardens of the Island and Parterre

• Maximum simultaneous capacity allowed: 330 people
• Only one entrance and exit through Santiago Rusiñol Gate

In the event that the citizenship response is not the expected one, new measures and regulations will be adopted in the use of the Gardens, while the conditions of the reopening are liable to be suspended or modified according to the guidelines of the health authorities.

Likewise, National Heritage is working on a de-escalation plan for the reopening of new spaces, both outdoors, and monuments, following the indications of the Spanish government in the context of de-escalation and in permanent contact with the different cultural institutions of the country, to be able to offer spaces for culture, leisure and recreation for our citizens.